CHAPTER XVI 



SOME REMARKS ON THE IRISH 

 FISHERIES 



Comparative poverty of the western fisheries Possible reasons 

 Present state of the Irish fisheries The Irish fisherman 

 Trawling and long-line fishing Congers, sharks, and sea-cats 

 Trawling on rocky ground " Man overboard ! "Ling, halibut, 

 and ray Eels Tory Island. 



IF one had space and leisure to dive into the matter, 

 there are doubtless good reasons to be found for the 

 fact that the western portions of the United Kingdom 

 cannot compare with those of the east for productive 

 fisheries. Where is the western fishing town that can 

 be mentioned in the same breath with Aberdeen, Grimsby, 

 Lowestoft, Yarmouth, or even Ramsgate? Yet the 

 Irish Sea, the Channels and the Atlantic generally are 

 surely as well adapted for the work as the German 

 Ocean ; for if the rainfall be greater, the wind is just 

 as favourable to the smacks as it is on the east ; often 

 more so. 



It is certainly not that the men of the east are neces- 

 sarily more careful over money-matters than the men of 

 the west; for much of the talk about the "thrifty 

 fisher-class " is so much foolish cant ; with the exception 



191 



